Integrating Noble Houses in Korvosa?

[Everyday Elohim]

Hi, gonna start up the AP real soon with my dear players! Before I get the ball rolling though I'd love to read if fellow GMs here have integrated the major Noble Houses in the story, and in that case how? House Arkona is already heavily prevalent in the AP for example, but what about the other ones? Bromathan, Jeggare, Leroung and Ornelos aren't nearly as featured, and it feels like a shame to let them stand in the background while all these power shifts are going on in their city.

I'm planning to deepen the intrigue a little by involving these other factions of Korvosa in the events of the AP and let them play against each other. While there will be more balls in the air to juggle I believe that it could turn out fun and rewarding for the group. Most of my group watches and loves Game of Thrones, and I'm certain than they'll eat the political intrigue right up and play the game of the crimson throne (?). An interesting aspect is that one PC is a paladin noble who's part of one of the Dock families (he chose Rich Parent trait and plans to be a Noble Scion), a dock family that has heavy ties to House Jeggare. If the Jeggares involve themselves in the shadow war with less than honorable deeds, what would the PC's stance be?

So, have any other GM done something similar and what experiences and tips do you have? Thanks on beforehand

[Puna'chong]

I didn't touch too much on the nobility in my campaigns, as my players mostly leaned toward the "Street Rat!" persuasion. I did have one player that was an up-and-coming Hellknight inquisitor (low ranking, got the crap jobs), and that was a lot of fun. Most of the intrigue came from dealing with the criminal underworld, with a lot of run-ins with Barvasi and Cerulean agents, even some stuff with Arkona himself.

Spoiler:

Arkona was especially fun, since in one campaign I had a player who wanted to create his own little crime empire (he was a former Sczarni who wanted to be less of a mobster and more of a Robin Hood/Blackjack), and Balor used him as a pawn up until the very end.

Intrigue works really well in this campaign, though. As I always say for people getting ready to start CotCT, MAKE ILEOSA CUNNING AS HELL!! The more you let her be two steps ahead of the players on this kind of stuff, the better. I don't like her being represented as a sort of spoiled, dumb queen, but more of a cunning backstabby b!@#%. She married a king, killed him, and became queen, after all, and she's possessed by a super malevolent force. If she starts using the nobles against the PCs, that's great, and gives them a sort of shadow war that they can take part in while they're also dealing with everything else. Bonus points if you can make Ileosa smart enough to hide her tracks so they don't know where the interference is coming from.

She should be a Tyrell and a Lannister put together.

[MrVergee]

The material as written names a number of noble families, but suggests that there are even more lesser houses which are not mentioned by name.

Apart from the king's house (Arabasti) there are officially five great houses: Arkona, Jeggare, Leroung, Ornelos and Zenderholm.

Other houses mentioned are Bromathan, Endrin, Carowyn, Fordyce and Jalento (and most likely Kroft, although it is never officially labeled a noble house). I'm not sure, but the Fencing Master web fiction might have some extra names as well.

This thread might also hold some information you like.

In general, the information on the noble houses is quite vague, giving you the opportunity to develop it as you see fit. In my campaign there are seven great houses (Endrin and Bromathan plus the five official ones). Carowyn, Fordyce and Jalento are the small houses. I've limited it to these. The PCs have mingled with all of them, they've been to the council at the castle with the seven great houses, they've been to parties, they've performed for the nobles, they've assisted Lady Zenderholm in a personal quest and they've saved the nobles' children at the Carowyn party. You can read all about it in my journal on these boards.

Spoiler:

In my campaign House Arkona is not made up of raksasha's, they are the real Arkona's (although I made them tieflings to add a touch of the exotic). Glorio Arkona is behind the chaos in the first part of the AP, using some agents to incite rebellion in the streets. His objective is to prove that the queen is incapable of ruling and take her place as king of Korvosa. By the second installment the queen is in full control of the city (with the help of the PCs) and the plague keeps Arkona occupied, so his role fades to the background, until he offers the PCs the chance to cooperate in opposing the queen in adventure number three (which is still in my campaign's future). When the AP is done, I'm planning a follow-up adventure in which Glorio Arkona will try to seize the throne. He'll find a competitor in Aaron Endrin and hopefully in one of the PCs, since I'm setting one of them up to be Eodred's son.

Anyway, like you I like using the noble houses more. They do not get much prime time in the AP as written, but you can certainly find ways to involve them more. If you develop some noble plots, I would definitely like to hear about them.

[UnArcaneElection]

For another take on Ileosa herself, see this thread, and it also offers different takes on some other important NPCs.